I can explain (COMPLETE)(s4)
by bouncyballblue
Summary: Did you really think Chloe would betray Lucifer?


Three Weeks A.P. (After Pierce) - Chloe

Chloe Decker considered herself to be a strong woman. She stared down gun barrels on a daily basis. She didn't blink at mangled corpses. She definitely didn't run away from scary faces.

So what was she doing in Italy? Chloe sat in a beach chair, carefully watching Trixie play in the waves with her new friends. It was uncomfortably hot but an umbrella and a soft breathe helped cool her down. Chloe found the bottle and reapplied sunscreen on her legs.  
"So, when are you going to tell me why you're here?" her mother said. She sat in a beach chair next to Chloe, dressed in fine white linen. Her leather sandals lay next to the plastic flip flops Chloe had paid way too much for at a gift store in Germany. They said "Quatsch" on the sole in big red font.

Penelope Decker had ambushed Chloe and Trixie earlier that day. To Chloe's chagrin, she and Trixie had met her waiting for them outside their hotel.  
"Grandma!" Trixie shouted, and immediately ran to give her a hug.  
"Mom, what...what are you doing here? How did you find us?" For now, Chloe was more baffled than irritated.  
Penelope smiled and waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. "Oh dear, do you really think I don't know people for that? Besides, they told me you were pretty easy to find. Really dear? Using your credit card abroad?"  
"Oh! My mistake! I didn't realize I was on the run!" Chloe picked up her mother's bags. "Here I am, target located. You can leave now."  
"Chloe," Penelope put a hand on her shoulder. "I came because I was worried. No one's heard from you in weeks. I'm your mother and I need to know you and Trixie are safe."  
Chloe saw that her mother was in earnest and her anger faded. "Yes, alright, mom, we're safe. Now, get in the car." Chloe opened the trunk to put the bags in. Penelope pushed it closed. She met Chloe's eyes with a look of stubborn, self-centered resolve. In an instant, Chloe knew it was easier to put up with her mother being here than try to make her to leave. If that was even possible. The trip was almost over, anyway.  
Chloe sighed. "Okay. But you're getting your own room."  
"I'm in room four actually. I'll see you on the beach in a few."

In an hour, they were sitting side by side in beach chairs. Chloe watched as Trixie fell over in a small wave. Before Chloe could panic, Trixie popped up and talked excitedly with the other kids. Chloe released her breath and relaxed back into her chair.  
"You're going to have to tell me," her mother said. She lifted a pink margarita to her lips.  
"I had some vacation time saved up and I thought it would be fun for Trixie."  
"I'm sure it's fun for Trixie." Penelope gestured. "It's probably fun for you to relax while your child might drown."  
Chloe gave her a contentious look. "The water comes up to your knees, Mom. It's the most shallow beach I've ever seen."  
"Shallow or not, it's dangerous. I don't believe you, by the way."  
"What?"  
"I know what happened with Marcus."  
Chloe wasn't sure what to say. It was true, Pierce had been a big part of why Chloe had left. But mostly it was the shock of what she had learned. Undeniable truths about the universe. For those first few days, Trixie had been the only thing tying Chloe to reality.  
"Chloe, it's been almost a month. You need to go back."  
Chloe started making a margarita for herself. "You can stop lecturing me. We're leaving tomorrow. Our last stop is Rome."

Two Hours A.P. - Chloe

Chloe Decker considered herself to be a strong woman. She stared down gun barrels on a daily basis. She didn't blink at mangled corpses. She definitely didn't run away from scary faces.

But that didn't mean she always knew what to do. Like now, for instance. Chloe stood in the penthouse elevator listening to Lucifer and Maze. They hadn't noticed her. If she wanted to, she could leave in secret. It had been Chloe's intention to find Lucifer and demand answers. Lucifer had purposefully kept her in the dark this whole time. Never mind that he had "technically" been telling the truth all along, he knew full well that Chloe didn't believe him. And Marcus! Everything she knew about Marcus was wrong. He had played her like a fool. Lucifer had known the truth about him but decided Chloe didn't need to know that she was marrying a career criminal. Add that to the list of things she would discuss with him.

Admittedly, Lucifer's devil face had shaken her. Seeing her partner turn around with burnt flesh where his head should have been had struck Chloe with paralyzing fear. Instinct screamed at her to run as far away as possible but she couldn't even move a finger. Reflecting on it later, Chloe was annoyed with herself. This was what Lucifer had meant when he warned her about his "dark side." He was convinced it would scare her away. She had promised it wouldn't, and she meant it. Chloe had braced herself for the worst, and this was pretty bad, but now that it was out in the open she was almost relieved.

So Chloe wasn't frightened. Much. Nothing about Lucifer had changed, she just knew more about him now. As far as him being the actual Devil, Chloe had to admit that she had been in denial since they met. At first, she had believed Lucifer enough to shoot him in the leg. It was insanity and she couldn't believe she had done it. After that, Chloe didn't let anything weaken her resolve, even if it meant willfully ignoring things she saw. But she couldn't deny her eyes.  
The thought of working side by side with the actual Devil was terrifying if you believed the lore. Hearing Lucifer represent the Devil's side of the story and the undeserved vilification he endured changed that. In the end, he was a good person with a scary face.

And right now, he was arguing with a demon in the bathroom. It wasn't hard for Chloe to overhear. Their shouts echoed in the suite.  
"I'd love to be a guest at your pity party, Maze, but I think my problem deserves the attention here."  
"You deserve it? What about me? How am I supposed to get Chloe and Trixie to not be scared of me?"  
"Look at me, Maze! You're not the one Chloe's afraid of!"  
The suite was silent for a moment.  
"You're right. I'm not half as screwed as you. … so what now?"  
"Well… I have to get rid of this, for starters. I'm pretty sure it's because I killed Pierce."  
"So?"  
"I liked it, Maze."  
"And that matters because…"  
"Because I'm not that person. At least, I thought I wasn't. Turns out I was wrong, aren't I?"  
"I think you care too much. Why can't you just stop doing it?"  
"I...When the detective saw me, she was terrified. She thinks I'm a monster and she's right."  
"Uh huh. Well, you can stay here and whine. I'm going to find Chloe."  
"No, leave the detective alone!"  
"I'm not stupid, Lucifer. I just want to know where she is to make sure her and Trixie are safe."  
"Leave her alone Maze."  
"...Fine. I need to wash all this blood and crap so get out. Go cry about ruining both our lives."  
Silence.  
"Hey... Lucifer? I know Chloe means a lot to you. I'm sorry."

A few seconds later, Chloe watched Lucifer walk into the lounge. That horrible face was still there, set with glowing yellow eyes. Chloe felt a jolt of panic but forced herself not to react. It helped that she knew what to expect. Lucifer fell back into the couch and stared wordlessly at the ceiling. Chloe realized he was crying. The anger and fear in her heart melted away. She wanted to hug him and tell him it was all going to be okay.  
As Chloe was about to leave the elevator, Lucifer spoke.  
"Is this what you wanted, Dad? It wasn't enough punishment the first time, was it? I needed more? Well hats off to you for an excellent sequel."

Oh my God. God was real. Until this moment, Chloe's mind had been occupied with only immediate concerns. At once, the cosmic ramifications hit her so hard they physically knocked her back. She crumpled uselessly to the elevator floor. Her hand slipped from the button holding open the doors, and the elevator went down. The last thing Chloe heard was the sound of a glass shattering, probably because Lucifer threw it.

Three Weeks, One Day A.P. - Jophiel

So far, everything was following Jophiel's plan. He had never tried to do something like this but he had watched Uriel manipulate patterns for eons and had learned some of it. Most of the time he performed admirably. Earlier that morning, however, Jophiel had boarded the wrong train. He had mispredicted which train the special human Chloe would choose. Fortunately, there was only one other active line to Rome. Jophiel flew to it and entered as a passenger. No deviation from the plan. The special human Chloe would meet the priest soon.

Jophiel walked the length of the train. He found the special human and its progeny in the second to last car. The young human was asleep. The special human Chloe was looking out the window. Jophiel sat down nearby. The trip would last for a few hours. He would wait for an opportune moment. An hour later, the special human Chloe fell asleep. Jophiel moved quietly to the seat behind her. He positioned his hands behind her head and prepared to push. Normally Jophiel did not need to be this close to push emotion, but this application would be complex. He could not change the thoughts of humans but if he concentrated, he could apply the emotion in a specific shape. He did so now. Jophiel focused on an image of Lucifer. When he had it, Jophiel pushed as much fear as he could. The Lucifer image acted like a metaphorical cookie cutter and the special human Chloe absorbed fear in the exact shape of his brother. Immediately, it woke up screaming. As he walked away, Jophiel wondered if he had pushed too much. He would need to consider it. It could affect his pattern.

Three Weeks, Two Days A.P - Chloe

Chloe Decker considered herself to be a strong woman. She stared down gun barrels on a daily basis. She didn't blink at mangled corpses. She definitely didn't run away from scary faces.

Now her hand trembled slightly as she flipped the page of an ancient tome. This book, and others, had opened her eyes.

It had taken Chloe twenty minutes to calm down after the nightmare. She had been dreaming about Lucifer and their kiss, then suddenly her eyes popped open and Lucifer's monster devil face was everywhere. Chloe screamed and fled the train car, colliding with her mother who was coming back with coffee. The faces followed Chloe to the next train car. They cackled with evil mirth at her vain attempts to outrun them. There was no escape.

It was a good thing that Chloe's gun was back in Los Angeles. With the initial shock behind her, Chloe had had to answer to Trixie and her mother. It wasn't easy to explain her unprovoked freakout and Penelope Decker would definitely hold this over Chloe until the end of time. Trixie was more understanding; she knew how scary nightmares are and she lost no time in doing her best to comfort her mom.

Chloe spent the following day poring over holy texts. On the table before her lay records of a gruesome legacy. Each tome opened her eyes to new horrors, stories of sadistic cruelty and trickery. The pages showed depictions of a monster who devoured children, burned cities, and killed indiscriminately. A monster she had been sick enough to love.

How could she have been so blind? The Devil had been in her home! He had touched her daughter; as a mother Chloe would never forgive herself for letting that happen. Chloe had kissed him. She felt sick. This twisted creature was the source of all evil, the ultimate corruptor. Everything bad traced back to him.  
In the very back of Chloe's mind, a small voice whispered _It's not true. Lucifer hates that people blame him for their sins. It hurts him. You saw that on the case with the cult…_  
The cult. In her mind, Chloe was back in the cult center. Those satanists had murdered to please Lucifer. He was the motive behind death. An evil that must be destroyed to save this world. He manipulated the minds of men.

How could she have been so stupid?!

This was the true face of the Devil. It didn't matter what Lucifer said. Everything was a lie. Everything he did was a trick. With shock, Chloe realized that it must have been Lucifer behind every case. He killed people so he could watch her try to solve his sick puzzle.  
_Lucifer detests lies_, her memory said. _Lucifer always tells the truth._  
That had been a lie too. He had hidden the truth from Chloe, letting her fall prey to his false love. She seemed to have a talent for that. Behind the horror of knowing what Lucifer was came a sense of personal betrayal. Were it only a case of fear, Chloe's love for Lucifer might have overcome it. But the intimate trust between them was shattered and because her trust of Lucifer had been so strong, it became an equally powerful sense of betrayal. In a darkly ironic way, Chloe absorbed the lore vilifying Lucifer because she loved him so much.

In a few minutes, McKinley appeared beside her with the next volume. He set it on the table and gently put his hand on her shoulder.  
"It is difficult to accept, my child, that such evil can exist in the world."  
Chloe nodded. "Yes, Father."  
Father McKinley met her eyes, his face severe. "Child, do you believe in what I say? Will you do that which you must do for the safety of this world?  
Chloe looked down at her book. It was open to an image of holy angels battling the devil and his dark armies.  
"...Yes."

Four weeks A.P. - Jophiel

Once Jophiel had created the fear in the special human's mind, it only took occasional boosts to keep it going. He got near enough to push the emotion then left, always making sure Lucifer was far away. Jophiel had been able to get close to the special human Chloe in the police precinct. He was not especially adept at blending in with humans but he found a suit and walked around special human Chloe. It was Jophiel's clever discovery that by holding a manilla envelope out in front of him, he could avoid interaction with the other humans present.

Father McKinley was following the pattern exactly as predicted. Jophiel wasn't concerned about the so called "prophecy." He hadn't heard anyone mention it in the Silver City. But the potion McKinley had found seemed to be legitimate, so maybe the old priest was correct on both accounts. It didn't particularly matter. Uriel would have scolded him for ignoring details like that. He had been the one to discover the priest. When Jophiel learned from him that a human had found a genuine holy recipe, Uriel had decided they would not tell the others. It might prove to be very useful, though at that point Father McKinley was still gathering the necessary components. Then Uriel had found the blade and left Jophiel behind, ignorant of his intentions. Why did Uriel go alone? Did he not trust Jophiel? The unfamiliar sensations of grief and anger bubbled at the edge of Jophiel's consciousness. He was familiar with the emotions academically from when he had used them on others, but that had always been under his control.

Jophiel had always avoided being at the mercy of feelings. His siblings made the mistake of assuming Jophiel's lack of passion meant he looked down upon everyone else. The concept, however, was self defeating. Jophiel did not feel superior. He did not judge those who felt. For him, emotion was simply something he sent into others. Jophiel suspected that this might be because pushing feelings outward carried his own passions away. Of all his siblings, Uriel was the only one Jophiel appreciated spending time with. It did not require emotion to understand Uriel's patterns. The control of sequences did not require passion. It simply was.

When Jophiel had learned of Uriel's destruction at the hands of Lucifer, he experienced grief he had never before so allowed. A second force, foreign to Jophiel, overwhelmed him. It took time to realize this was . This was not something he had ever felt before. It was his particularly least preferred of the emotions and Jophiel never sent it into others lest he become familiar with it. Yet here he was, saturated with a hatred that drove him to desperate action. Jophiel had looked for Azrael's blade without success. He had not gotten there in time to see where Lucifer hid it. Then Jophiel had remembered the priest. Father McKinley was nearly there. Jophiel had the makings of a plan and started predicting patterns. He did not predict the flight of the special human Chloe away from Lucifer. He especially did not predict the providence that guided her to Rome. A part of Jophiel wondered if his Father was responsible for this unlikely fortune. He doubted it. In the end, very little manipulation had been required to start Jophiel's pattern.

Two Months A.P. - Jophiel

For anyone besides Jophiel, the failure of his bid for vengeance might have spurred him into an even more aggressive attempt to destroy Lucifer. But when Jophiel had pushed hate and fear into the special human Chloe it had carried away much of his outrage. However, the grief remained and Jophiel did not intend to escape it. This was something he must feel. No longer motivated to seek retribution, Jophiel returned to heaven and sought purpose in studying Uriel's work.

_Thank you for reading! Season 4 broke my heart and this story is my attempt to repair things._  
_You can actually see Jophiel for a brief moment in the show ;) Hint: He's somewhere in s4 episode 2_  
_By the way, there's a reason he's named "Jophiel." Can you guess it?_

_-Dale_


End file.
